Tag: 2008 elections

Winning The Stay-At-Home Mom Vote

From a stay-at-home mom.

I know, I know…my alias is “grannyhelen”, which I’ve used as a tribute to my own great-grandmother. I, myself, am a 40 year old stay-at-home mom of two in a small commuter city.

Wanna win my vote? It won’t be as easy as simply nominating a “hockey mom”, or even taking down the “maverick” image of John McCain. But women – and particularly mothers – may help decide this election, and it’s obvious that the McCain campaign picked Governor Palin to appeal to women like me. In order to put Barack Obama in the White House, Democrats must compete successfully for these votes.

Follow me over the fold for some talking point do’s and don’ts of this demographic.

A Heartbeat Away Is Not a Distraction

Many people say that talking about Sarah Palin is a waste of time, a distraction.  I strongly deisagree.  The Republicans have used Palin, successfully I might add, to distract the public from 1) the lack of excitement of candidate McCain, 2) the paucity of any new ideas or issues from the Republicans, and 3) the wholesale boiler-plate duplication of Bush-NeoCon failed policies.  

But Palin aspires to be one heartbeat away from becoming the most powerful person on the planet.  A full examination of who she is, what she thinks, believes and does is in no way a distraction.  It is imperative to study, research, discuss and ask hard questions about her qualifications for the position.  We must not be sidetracked from fully vetting Palin in a manner the McCain camp did not.   And we must not be turned away from this pursuit by attacks that our examinations are sexist.  

Obama, stop trying to replay the Kerry campaign.

You’re blowing it, you corporate-conservative jerk.  On the one hand, you’ve wised up a little in the wake of polls showing your opponents ahead; your attack on Palin’s hypocrisy and dishonesty over earmarks was good, though it could have been a little stronger — call her a liar, Barack.

“Don’t be fooled,” Obama told the crowd surrounding him in a large barn. “John McCain’s party, with the help of John McCain, has been in charge” for nearly eight years.

“I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she’s change, and that’s great,” Obama said. “She’s a skillful politician. But, you know, when you’ve been taking all these earmarks when it’s convenient, and then suddenly you’re the champion anti-earmark person, that’s not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can’t just make stuff up.”

This is some of the kind of campaigning we want to see from you, and on a consistent basis (maybe you read Steve Almond’s Huffington Post piece).  Then, almost as though you suddenly remember you’re supposed to be the ringer candidate, you turn around and do something insipidly stupid — like saying you won’t push to repeal the shrub’s tax giveaways to the super-wealthy if you become president.

WASHINGTON – Democrat Barack Obama says he would delay rescinding President Bush’s tax cuts on wealthy Americans if he becomes the next president and the economy is in a recession, suggesting such an increase would further hurt the economy.

Those tax cuts for the super-wealthy are a large part of what’s caused the economic recession we’re suffering (the foreign press called it a full-blown depression this Spring) in the first place, and Americans know it.

What about increasing taxes on the wealthy?

“I think we’ve got to take a look and see where the economy is. I mean, the economy is weak right now,” Obama said on “This Week” on ABC. “The news with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, I think, along with the unemployment numbers, indicates that we’re fragile.”

Raising taxes on the wealthy won’t cause things to become worse; there isn’t much else worse that can happen, except perhaps publicly acknowledging what has been common knowledge to many people for years now, and that’s not likely to make a huge impact on the already-failed economy.  Are you so afraid of spooking your corporate masters this close to an election you’ve already decided you don’t want to win that you won’t even allow for even the possibility of making them pay taxes?

You can’t make such flip-flops.  Case in point: what you are quoted saying above, compared to this.

“John McCain likes to talk about fiscal responsibility, but there is no doubt that his proposals blow a hole through the budget,” Obama said.

This is another cause of the recession-depression: the fiscal irresponsibility of the GOP.  Lay blame where it belongs, Barack.  Don’t make taxes out to be the bogeyman; they’re not.  They’re the only way we’re going to begin salvaging this economy.

You’re running a granny campaign just like John Kerry did, and you KNOW how that turned out.  Stop doing it.  This election isn’t about you; it’s about every American whose suffering under the shrub and his gargoyle has to end, and you are not allowed to let us all down.

Republicans gleefully push the political nuclear button …

Are the Democrats willing to bet it all on preemptively striking McCain-Palin?

There is a major difference between the Democratic leadership and the Republican leadership. Democrats fight the political campaign as if it were an intellectual, academic exercise. The Republicans fight like it is an all out war, a brawl for control of the neighborhood. While the Republicans are willing to risk it all to save their hallowed ground, Democrats prefer to fight in a clean war mode. Republicans fight as if their futures depended on the win. Democrats fight as if they are right and, consequently, for the sake of fairness, deserve to win.

On any disagreement, the Republicans grab their guns and start shooting …it’s war. The Democrats pause to think. What is the problem? What are the facts? Can we negotiate with the potential aggressor? How can we avoid conflict? Should we wait until we are sure that the other party means us harm …wait until the other party throws the punch?

My Sculptural Gift to the GOP (Part 1)

Thanks to nightprowlkitty for telling me about this very cool site. I’m pleased to meet you all and to share my current project. I’m a fine artist working primarily in mixed media sculpture right now. I’m about to have my first solo show of extremely political artwork. I’ve been pre-exhibiting the work online because most folks won’t have a chance to see the work in person. I’m happy to share it with you on nightprowlkitty’s suggestion. Here is the first installment:

Cross Posted at Elephant in the Room (Go there for larger views of images if you wish.)

I’m an artist first and a political blogger second. Sometimes, especially in the past eight years (youknowwhy) I’ve had to put my art second, behind my activism, which I don’t like to do. Other times having art-making as an expressive outlet has probably kept my head from exploding. Like you poll wonks, and policy writers I’m using my personal skills to help win our country back. Art is a less represented method of activism here on DailyKos but there are many artists among our community.

I’d like to share with you the first in a series of sculptures I’ve been working on since 2003. The actual artwork will be on exhibit in October (near one of the nation’s largest Marine bases) but since most of you won’t be able to get to Joshua Tree, CA to see it, I’m sharing it online now. I’m hoping it will help change votes, minds, hearts, and inspire progressive action and CHANGE/HOPE/PROGRESS!

Who would you vote for if you could pick from all of the presidential candidates running?

http://www.misterpoll.com/poll…

This poll allows you to choose from all of the presidential candidates running, instead of just the two major political party candidates.  What’s more, you can vote for more than one option, sort of like instant runoff.  Discuss who you picked and why in the comments section.

Inspiring Speech from Shamako Noble at the RNC Welcoming Committee Press Conference

[Cross-posted at you-know-where]

Hey kossacks.

This is my first diary for awhile.  I have to admit I’ve kind of given up on the kos.  Like is often said in these cases, it’s not you, it’s me.  [It was at this point I realized I should post this also here.]

Baseless in Obamaland

Original article by Eric Patton, sub-headed From Chad Ocho Cinco to Sarah Palin, via counterpunch.com:

It’s official.  Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson is now Chad Ocho Cinco.  What in God’s name does this have to do with the left?

Palin: “F**king Eskimo’s” & “Arctic Arabs” (Update)

Take a real good look at her face –  not at her fake smile, but look into her eyes.

Photobucket

What do you see?


Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”

“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole.

I see the eyes of a racist and a global warming denier. Sad indeed; and, her racism helps to clarify how climate disintegration is a human rights issue. (This is a MUST READ from the update below)

John McCain is wrong …wrong for America

John McCain believes the answer is war …Barack Obama believes the answer is peace. Which pathway will be the choice of Americans?

McCain is adamant in describing his America as one in which Americans will sit atop the mountain of the world’s bountifulness and mercilessly fight off the aspirations of our global brothers and sisters. McCain would build high fences around the perimeter of the United States, send our armies and navies out into the valley below to crush those who aspire to ascend to higher ground, to peaks of their own. McCain sees America in his own self-image …as selfish, me-firsters…. His claim of America First is a very personal mantra.

Racist Republicans

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, (R)(acist) Georgia, is a hypocritical, ignorant racist asshole. How’s that for name calling Lynn? (Isn’t Lynn a GIRL’S name, btw?)  It makes me feel dirty to call you those names, does it make you feel dirty to use patently blatant racism, Lynn? Somehow I doubt it.

Photobucket

“Honestly, I’ve never paid that much attention to Michelle Obama,” Westmoreland said. “Just what little I’ve seen of her and Senator Barack] Obama, is that they’re a member of an elitist class…that thinks that they’re uppity.”

The 58-year-old, Atlanta-born congressman declined to elaborate further, though he did repeat one part of his comment when asked to clarify.

“Uppity, you said?” he was asked.

“Yeah, uppity,” Westmoreland replied.

The audio.

This is the same dumb, racist, hypocritical, sanctimonious, Republican who….well I will let [Wikipedia tell you…

As a U.S. congressman, Westmoreland cosponsored a bill to place the Ten Commandments in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Westmoreland also sponsored a bill that the Ten Commandments could be displayed in courthouses in a historical setting. In May 2006, political humorist Stephen Colbert interviewed Westmoreland for The Colbert Report show segment Better Know a District. The congressman was only able to name three of the Ten Commandments he sought to legally put in public display.

McCain, Bennet Freeze & Forced Removal of Navajo: ’74 – ’96

Just what was one method of forced removal McCain used to bring about this?


ACSA study reveals that after assembling a team of “pro-Peabody Western Coal” Indians and obtaining a false “Hopi-Navajo” Tribal Counsel designation by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for these paid Tribal representatives, in the period 1974-1996, Senator McCain was able to get large bands of the Dineh-Navajo relocated off their lands, so that Peabody Western could mine the coal under their farms at nominal expense. Common Cause has suggested McCain was indirectly compensated by street name cash contributions to his Federal Election Fund during three Presidential runs, and through family business with Las Vegas Casinos who benefited from the coal driven power he supplied.

In 1974 the U.S. Government legally endorsed genocide when Congress passed Public Law 93-531, which enabled Peabody Coal Company to strip mine Black Mesa by ripping the traditional Navajo and Hopi peoples from the land.

Let’s talk about the Bennet Freeze.

Load more